Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Well, folks, this is my new favorite place. My parents live out past this joint and watched every day for months waiting for it to open. Smokie's teased us by putting the sign out front back in March. Then they had people working there almost every day getting it ready until they finally opened in late July. Every time I'd drive by there on my way to visit my parents, I'd say my little mantra "Open, open OPEN". Anyway, they finally got everything just the way they wanted it and opened their doors.

When you walk in, you will be greeted by a sweet smell of smoke and the warm, friendly owners. The owners here might be the most genuine and earnest people in the restaurant business right now. Eager to please, eager to hear feedback, and so good-natured. It's clear they aren't experimenting or testing things out, though. They honed their smoking skills well before opening because they are proving to be consistent... which is the hardest thing about serving barbecue.

You will not go wrong with anything you order here. But, just in case you can't decide... and I just love this... they have a "Two meat plate" that includes 2 ribs on top of your two meats. Ha! So, I can daintily order a two meat plate and get three meats? They just get me. Anyway, I've now had their ribs, sliced brisket, pulled pork, and hot links. And since they were all good, I might need them to add a four meat plate.

Here's the menu...

I cut off the smoked meat selections. They have Brisket (Chopped or Sliced), Pork, Ribs, Bologna, Sausage, Hot Links and sometimes they will have chicken as the special of the day.

Now, a word about each of the meats. I'll start with the ribs. These are the best ribs I've had in the Tulsa area and perhaps further out. They don't fall off the bone, but are very tender and come clean off the bone when you eat them. They are not fatty or chewy. They have a nice pink color to them to prove they've been smoked long enough. They have a flavorful rub. Before I forget to mention it, Smokie's has a sweet choice of barbecue sauces. They don't make their own. Instead, they have bottles of Oklahoma-made Head Country, Ranger Creek, Sa-mokin', and Hot at the table. I like mixing and matching. The ribs go really well with the Sa-mokin' sauce, which is on the sweet side. Next, the hot links. These impressed me because I immediately knew they made their own, and owner Aaron Latsos confirmed this. The flavor is sort of breakfast-sausage-y, but with more heat. I liked these with the Sa-mokin' sauce as well, because the heat and the sweet played off of each other so nicely. This might be the best bite of food I've had in quite awhile. On to the brisket. Here was something that surprised me. I tend to like a thick slice of brisket, but theirs is sort of shaved. It's very lean... leaner than I usually like, but still tender and just sort of flakes apart on the fork. I like the Head Country sauce on the brisket because the tanginess works well with beef. But, I alternated with the Ranger Creek because I was having trouble deciding. Finally, the pork. I kind of expected it to be "pulled pork", but this was sort of thin slices like the brisket. The pork had a deep pink smoke ring and was well-seasoned, which gave it sort of a hammy flavor, but not a hammy texture. That's a win in my opinion. The pork went well with all the sauces.

I contend that people will drive anywhere for good 'cue. Unlike other cuisines, barbecue just tastes better after a little drive. And BBQ snobs never like meats smoked inside city limits. So, yes, this is way out east, but it's well worth it. Aaron's dad, also an owner, told us he wanted Smokie's to become a destination spot. They are building out a deck on back and want to have music. Plus, he did all their artwork, including the juke-box front door and the mural of Broken Arrow businesses on the wall inside. I hope this place becomes the destination spot they dream of and that it brings people out for years to come.

Two Meat Plate with Ribs, sliced brisket (peeking out from under the ribs) and hot links. The beans are a family recipe, thick with added meat and very onion-y. The fries are freshly fried and well-seasoned.